• Rugby boss insists all done from their end
• Lanka eye maiden podium finish in Japan

Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) President Pavithra Fernando is of the view that the National Sevens Team led by Srinath Sooriyabandara are well prepared to take a crack at a landmark medal at the forthcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan.

He dismissed suggestions that the opposition faced by the Tuskers during the Howard Hinton Sevens in France and at the London International Rugby Sevens were of inferior quality and maintained that, on the contrary, the team had come up against phenomenal opponents.

The SLR President noted that in the London Sevens in particular, Sooriyabandara’s outfit had lined up against Asian No. 1-ranked team Hong Kong, and remarked that this alone should stand the Lankans in good stead in the run-up to the Asian Games.

Fernando faced the media at a briefing in Colombo on Wednesday (12) as the head of the governing body while reaffirming their aim to create history at the aforementioned games, and formally recognising the commercial partners backing the national men’s and women’s sevens programmes.

Asked whether he had enough confidence in his team to end on the podium with an elusive medal at the upcoming event in Japan, the former national Captain and flanker replied in the affirmative. 

He then observed that the controlling body had done all it could to attune the team for the tough assignment on the horizon.

“Yes, I am confident that the boys will pull it off,” the SLR President said buoyantly while picking out China as one team that Sri Lanka would do well to be wary of.

“China have pumped so much money into their sevens programme, even while on tour around Europe and while getting the best technical knowhow from overseas. It won’t be easy, but we have done everything on our end.”

Sri Lanka’s best finishes hitherto in the rugby sevens circuit at the Asian Games include ending in fourth place (semi-finalists) at the 2014 and 2018 editions held in Incheon, South Korea and Jakarta, Indonesia, respectively.

During the media event, SLR officials highlighted the progress of a structured and professional high-performance programme designed to give sevens players the preparation, resources, and international exposure needed to compete successfully at the highest level in the continent.

It was further revealed that the women’s team had gained important exposure alongside the national teams of Thailand and India.

Meanwhile, the men’s programme has welcomed India and Singapore for a series of high-quality preparatory matches in the lead-up to the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series in China, climaxing with the Asian Games.

“From the moment we were elected, we identified winning a medal at the 2026 Asian Games as our most important short-term priority. 

“Talent alone will not achieve that ambition. Our players need a professional environment, quality coaching, international exposure, and the committed support of partners who believe in Sri Lankan rugby. This programme represents our determination to give both the men’s and women’s teams every possible opportunity to succeed,” Fernando stated. 

(JK)

Men’s rugby sevens groups for Asian Games

• Group A: Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, and Uzbekistan 
• Group B: Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and Kazakhstan
• Group C: Sri Lanka, the UAE, Singapore, and the Philippines

Format: The top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams go through to the quarter-finals. Teams that don’t make quarters play in ninth to 12th placement matches.